The Struggles of Nations
by Glenn393
Summary: 1 year 2 months after XII ends our heros are faced with the threat of war from Rozarria. The surrounding countries must gain power to avoid this threat, and our heros must overcome the Occuria once again. Lots of action to come, character deaths, CH 7 up!
1. Chapter 1: Cold Steel

Alright hey everybody, I'm in the process of finishing a separate Final Fantasy XII FanFic, "The Return of the Zodiac Stones", which was a pretty long and interesting story, but I've felt the need to write about some other ideas I've had for a Final Fantasy XII Sequel. As opposed to my current fanfic, this one sticks strictly to XII, and I've thought a lot about the twists, direction, characters, and places I want to include. After playing through Final Fantasy XII, some of the people/places/things in this story are things I hardly even knew about after playing, and I only discovered upon further research. Nonetheless, I feel like this story is going to be a good one, and I hope you all enjoy it chapter by chapter.

My last story was decently long, average I'd say. I want this one to be REALLY long, but I'm not sure if I want to do shorter chapters but more of them, or less chapters with more content. I think for the purpose of my convenience, and for the convenience of the readers I'm going to go with shorter chapters, but more of them. But, alright, here it goes :D

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The story I am about to tell is not a happy one. It is a story that reflects the future of Ivalice, and being a historian, I have searched long and far for every detail and emotion, so that I may tell this story accurately, so that you may all know the deeds done by heros and villains alike.

This story is not a fairy tale. There are Princesses who become Queens, but there is no knight in shining armor. There are great adventures, quests, and perils, but people are not magically saved by their will, or their heart. There is no ending where everything is perfect, because the world isn't perfect. This story is real. It is as real as could be. It is as gruesome, depressing, adventurous, compelling, and breath-taking as any other story.

This story has no moral. There is no lesson learned, or idea taught. These are the events that took place one month after Queen Ashelia took her throne. This is the adventure and unbelievable plight of a nation. This is the story of a surge of power, and a balance of nations. This is also a story about overcoming unbelievable odds, yet this is not a happy story.

And to begin this tale, which I am glad I cannot call my own, I must inform you of the current affairs of Ivalice. Larsa Solidor rules Archadia, accompanied by Basch fon Ronsenburg. Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca is the Queen of Dalmasca. Nabradia continues to be without a leader. Al-Cid Margrace has been selected to be the new King of Rozarria. The former king resigned from the throne after experiencing the tension between Archadia and Rozarria pending Vayne Solidor's rule. Al-Cid was chosen to be king because of the recommendations made by Ashelia and Larsa, but also because of his past history as a political figure. The countryside had been eventless over the past month, except for the daily routines of babies being born and elderly people dying. The Republic of Landis remains quiet, peaceful, and helpless. The Viera in Eruyt Village remain isolated, the citizens who reside within Balfonheim Port remain leaderless, and manufactured nethecite production has slowed down considerably.

This is the world our characters live in. And with that, I shall begin:

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"Vaan! What are you doing down here!" Penelo called, slowly walking down the old rock stairwell, cracked and rotting with age.

She squinted her eyes to see Vaan across the dark, window-less sewer. There was a stagnant smell of dust and mold in the air; the area so silent that the splash from drop of water could be heard from anywhere in that end of the passage. The silence was suddenly cut short when there was a squeal, and a loud reverberation heard from Vaan's sword hitting the stone floor adjacent to the Garamscythe Waterway.

"Isn't killing rats a little, uh, in the past?" Penelo asked sweetly, coming to the bottom of the stairwell.

Vaan, standing over the carcasses of four large rats, turned to look at his best friend.

"Call it nostalgia," Vaan smiled, walking toward Penelo.

She smiled back at him, and as the two got closer they opened their arms and embraced each other in a sweet and friendly hug.

"Don't tell me Migelo needs another errand to be done," Vaan sighed unhappily, already sensing what Penelo came searching for him for.

"Oh please, silly, you got your vacation from errands when we went on our quest to regain Dalmasca," Penelo said, cocking her head to the side, poking him jokingly in the shoulder.

"That doesn't seem like a very relaxing vacation," Vaan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, resting his other hand on his hip.

"Well, it's more of a vacation than Kytes has ever had, so be grateful for that."

"Fine, what does Migelo need me to do now," Vaan reluctantly said, not really unhappy though because he knew the errands were always small and effortless.

"He wants you to run that order of baked bread down to the Cobbler family," Penelo replied simply.

"Bread order! That was your job today, Penelo!" Vaan laughed, poking her back.

"I know! I know it was, Vaan! I already did my other errands, but I'm so tired right now I just wanted to go back and take a nap!" Penelo admitted, hoping her begging would get some pity from her friend.

"Fine, no big deal I guess. Wouldn't want you to miss out on some beauty rest, right?" Vaan smiled.

"Ah! Thank you!" Penelo cried, leaping into Vaan's arms.

"Hahahaha, you seem pretty energetic for someone who's so tired," Vaan pointed out.

"You already said you'd do it, no taking it back now!" Penelo laughed as she turned and ran to the stairwell, practically hopping up the stairs.

Vaan laughed quietly to himself, looking around at the empty waterway. He made sure his sword was properly sheathed, and followed the route where Penelo had gone, making sure that he took his time to get to Migelo's shop.

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Penelo happily walked through the streets of Rabanastre, smiling and waving to some of the commoners who she spent lots of time with. She also saw those who she delivered packages for, and they too waved and thanked her for her helpfulness. But after walking for a little while, she eventually came to Migelo's shop where she and Vaan had been staying at ever since they got back to Rabanastre. She approached the door of the small shop, turned the doorknob, and let herself in.

The inside of Migelo's shop was busy during this time of day. It was a little bit past noon, and everybody was out buying, selling, talking, and doing their other daily chores. The inside of the shop smelt of spices and perfumes, two things Migelo prided himself on selling. Light poured into the shop from the small windows scattered along the cement walls. There was a buzz of chatter in the shop; people were flocking all over the place to get a look at Migelo's fine goods.

"Penelo! Have you brought the order of bread to the Cobbler's yet!" Migelo yelled across the room, spotting the young spunky blonde from behind the counter.

"Vaan is on his way now! He said he would do it for me, along with all my other errands from earlier!" Penelo yelled back, smiling at the expression Vaan was going to have on his face when Migelo told him what chores Penelo had been assigned.

She turned and flew up the stairs to where their bedrooms were. She walked across the hall into the room she shared with Vaan and Kytes. Kytes was actually in the room now.

"Hiya!" Penelo greeted, hopping into the room.

"Hey Penelo!" Kytes greeted, leaping off his bed.

Kytes hadn't grown much at all over the past few years, and was still about a head shorter than Penelo was. He was a good boy though, and loved to do things to make others happy. He still looked up to Vaan though, now more than ever because of their adventure from the previous few months. Vaan was an older brother to the boy, and ever since their return, Penelo had become like an older sister.

"I was just making my bed," Kytes blurted, walking toward the door. "I still have to help Migelo downstairs. Are there any people down there?"

"Enough that you should have been down there a while ago," Penelo smirked, letting the boy pass by her.

"Alrighty! Thanks Penelo! I'll see you later on!" Kytes waved as he rushed down the stairs to aid Migelo.

Penelo kept the smirk on her face as she glided over to her twin sized bed. She pulled the covers up and fluffed up her pillow. She then walked over to her dresser to put her clothes away and get a pair of shorts and a tee shirt to fall asleep in. As she pulled her dresser drawer open, she swore she heard a noise come from the closet against the wall behind her.

She turned her head to look while listening for any other noises. She shrugged, dismissed it as nothing big and continued to open the top drawer of her dresser.

Suddenly, a hand clasped around her mouth, and an arm wrapped itself around her waist. There was somebody behind her. She screamed as loud as she could, but the sound was muffled through the hand of her sudden captor. The hand felt rough on her face, the arm felt muscular, and the body behind her felt tall, it must have been a large man, but she didn't know who it could be, or why he would be there.

Her thoughts raced through her mind in less than a second, because in the following second, she felt the arm around her waist let go, and in a flash there was a numbing pain that erupted from her neck. Her eyesight became a blinding white for one moment as she felt a warm liquid rush down her neck and down her windpipe. The feeling from the cold, steel left her neck, and she realized she was going to die. There was no doubt about it. The man behind her had just slit her neck, and she was going to die within the impending seconds.

There was just enough time for her to let warm tears roll down her cheeks though, saddened by the sudden thought of death. She wanted to remember all the good things in her life, and as she did, she realized she had just let her life flash by her eyes. The moment passed in just a few seconds, but to Penelo it had seemed like an eternity. She tried to cry out, but her vocal chords were cut open, and the only thing that came from her throat was a gurgle of blood sputtering up from the wound. She let the tears flow down her soft cheeks as she felt the life leaving her body. She couldn't breath, couldn't scream, couldn't even control her body. And before she knew it, darkness clouded over her vision like that of a bottomless pit, and she felt her body go limp in her murderer's arms.

The man who had been waiting for Penelo tossed her lifeless body onto the bed she had already prepared to sleep in. The blood running from her neck soaked into the sheets and her clothing as the man turned to the balcony to leave, making sure nobody would see his exit. Once he leapt from the balcony, the room remained silent. And in that small bedroom on the second story of Migelo's Shop, where the young street urchins had slept and grown together for the past few years, the silence and coldness of death sat in the room like a mist, hovering over the broken and deceased body of Penelo, just waiting for someone to discover and witness the terrible tragedy.

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Yeah... Character death... I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I hope that Penelo's death was saddening, and that you all realize the events to come will be sad, yet adventurous, and without a moral, but still entertaining. This story is meant to be real, and I want you all to see that. I hope you all review to let me know your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2: A Surprise Visit

Alright everybody, just to give you a heads up, the next few chapters aren't intended to be extraordinarily exciting, but more buildup so that the chapters later will be VERY exciting. I plan on making this a love story, but also an epic adventure, much like how Final Fantasy plays out itself. The plotline is very intricate, so for those of you who like contemplating different ideas for Final Fantasy XII Sequels, I hope this one really sticks out to you. I personally am very happy with where this story is going to lead, so in the meantime, enjoy

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Ah, I'm glad you've came back to hear the rest of my story. I know I told you the story was not a happy one, so I believe I gave you fair warning as to what may be coming. Don't expect the story to turn into a fairy tale still, though, just because the first chapter is over. I plan on telling you this history behind our continent as realistically as possible.

And so, now that you're back, I'll continue not from where we left off from our last visit, but from a week after the tragic events. Our character, Vaan, is coping as best as he can, still at Migelo's:

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"Hey Vaan, you feel like going down to the sewer to kill some rats?" Kytes asked, walking up behind Vaan, who was sitting against the wall outside of Migelo's shop. "I really want to learn more about fighting from you!"

Vaan looked up lazily at the young boy, his eyes slightly bloodshot from getting less sleep than normal. He let out a deep sigh and replied, "Maybe later, Kytes, I'm pretty comfortable right now."

Kytes continued to walk to Vaan from the shop door, and then he plopped himself down next to the seventeen year old. "Are you still upset about Penelo? Because that's okay, Vaan. I'm still really really sad. And Migelo is devastated. It's okay to feel sad, too."

"Kytes, you're a good kid," Vaan said numbly, shifting his head to look at Kytes, who was sitting next to him still. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Kytes nodded.

"I think I'm at a breaking point," Vaan blurted. "Like, I'm the same kid I've always been, and I am who I am today because of the things that've happened. I know in a little while I'll be the same as I always have been. Or I hope at least."

"What do you mean, Vaan?" Kytes asked, confused about what Vaan was saying.

"Well, I grew up with my family, and Reks, of course, and Penelo, and everybody here in Rabanastre. But when I was twelve, my parents both died of the plague. A few years later, Reks died in the war. Before that, Penelo's parents were killed in an Archadian assault. Over the course of my journey, we saw a lot of other people killed and murdered, and now, Penelo is dead. I know I'll always have you and Migelo, but I've already lost so much, my whole life is pretty empty now."

Kytes nodded, trying to understand, "Your life is sad."

Vaan nodded, soaking in the brutally plain words of the young boy.

"Just keep living and doing what you can. That's what I always try to do," Kytes added.

"I try, Kytes, but it sure is hard," Vaan sighed, starting to get up from off the wall. "Go back on in and tell Migelo I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a few hours, I just need to think."

"You got it!" Kytes said cheerfully, reaching up to offer Vaan a high five.

Vaan smirked, returned the gesture, then turned and started walking the other way off into Rabanastre.

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"Fire! Help! Fire!" A woman screamed in panic. "Somebody please help! Come here!"

Vaan faintly heard the cry off in the distance. He had spent the past three hours walking through Rabanastre and exploring some of the Westersand and Estersand. The sun at begun to set, so he decided it was time to head back to Migelo's and get dinner. As he neared the shop though, he heard the screams off in the distance.

"Somebody! Get buckets of water! Get a mage who can cast water spells! Anything!" Another citizen shouted off in the distance.

Screams and cries of help and terror echoed down the street, ringing deep in Vaan's ears. He walked through an alleyway, shrouded in darkness from shadows of the setting sun, imagining what kind of fire there was down the street. As he continued to hustle forward, he started to get a knot down in the middle of his stomach. The screams were coming toward the southern end of the alleyway, where Migelo kept his shop. He hoped that the shop was okay and that Migelo and Kytes were as well.

He started to speed his steps up, and as the screams came closer, he picked up the pace and broke out into a full out run. As he came to the center of the alleyway where the mob of people had gathered to watch the blaze, he realized that it was Migelo's very shop that was up in flames. Vaan ran forward in a panicked state of mind, helpless to do anything. He did think of one thing though.

He pushed himself through the crowd of people, their screams ringing in his eardrums, his heart rising up into the back of his throat. He neared the burning shop and saw a few people trying to throw buckets of water on the shop that was now almost entirely up in flames. The entire face of the shop was on fire, and judging by how black the wood had become, and how much of the shop had collapsed, the fire must have been going on for at least ten or twenty minutes.

He frantically ran to the front door and with all the force he could muster, he kicked the door down. The door wasn't even intact though since it was partially on fire already, instead, Vaan's foot just went straight through the door, cracking the long board in half. Somebody reached out and grabbed Vaan's arm, but he yanked it away violently, not letting anyone stop him from entering.

He ran into the burning shop. Black smoke clouded the room, rising up to the ceiling. There were flames all over the shop, burning the curtains, the shelves, Migelo's goods, the tapestries. Everything. Part of the ceiling had collapsed to expose the second story bathroom. Vaan didn't see anybody in the shop, so he ran upstairs to see if there was anybody there. He galloped up the steps, avoiding the flames as much as he could. He could feel the tips of the fires singing his skin, the embers flying out and landing on his arms and face.

He came to the hallway which was also up in flames. He peered to his left into the bedroom, and to his shock, he saw Kytes laying on the bed.

"Kytes wake up!" Vaan yelled as he rushed into the room.

He ran to the bed and scooped Kytes' small body off the bed.

"Kytes wake up! The shop's on fire!" Vaan yelled in panic as he shook his friend.

Kytes' body hung limply in Vaan's arms though, and he didn't respond to Vaan's cry. In fact, Kytes head had drooped backward at an impossibly gruesome angle due to the slash that ran straight across his neck, exposing the muscles in his throat his esophagus. There was a pool of blood on Kytes' chest that had been soaked up by his white shirt.

Vaan's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he realized that Kytes was already dead.

"Kytes!" Vaan cried, his head darting left and right looking to see if anyone was around.

Part of the ceiling at the far end of the room crackled and caved in. A burst of flames shot up from the floor and a cloud of smoke billowed into the room. Vaan quickly dropped Kytes back on his bed, wiping the sweat from his forehead from the immense heat of the fire.

"Migelo!" Vaan yelled, his eyes still wide in shock, turning toward the door to find his boss and proprietor.

Vaan continued down the hall, avoiding the flames that ran up the walls and across the floors. He leapt over a small fire that lay in the center of the room and landed on the wooden floor hard. His foot crashed through the floor. The wooden floor was becoming weak.

He quickly lifted himself up and hurried into Migelo's bedroom. Migelo was also lying on his bed, and from a distant glance, Vaan could see that Migelo had sustained the same injury that Penelo and Kytes did. Vaan turned, afraid of what he had just witnessed, terrified with the realization that he was now in the middle of a burning, wooden shop. There was more crackling from above him, and as Vaan looked up, he realized the ceiling was starting to collapse.

Vaan ran down the hall from where he came, and as he glanced behind him he saw the ceiling collapse, hit the floor, and collapse that end of the hall under the force of impact. He came to the stairwell only to be faced by a wall of fire that had made its way up the stairwell. He glanced around nervously, and then he saw one alternative. There were no windows at this end of the hall, and the fall from any of the bedroom windows was a good twenty feet, he didn't want to take that chance if he could help it.

Vaan glanced behind him again toward the end of the hall where the ceiling and floor had collapsed. The chimney was now entirely exposed there, running up the remains of the wall, stemming out of the shop, rising up into the twilight of the sky. In a desperate attempt to escape, Vaan ran as fast as he could toward the chimney, aware of the six foot jump he would have to take to leap over the collapsed floor.

He got to the midpoint of hallway though, and as he let his foot come down, he pushed off as hard as he could and sprung his body, now full of adrenaline, straight toward the brick chimney. He had jumped far enough, and now he just extended his arms to try to grapple the chimney on its sides. He did so, holding on with all his might, and keeping his feet pressed against the mortar between the bricks.

He glanced up at the sky and did his best to shimmy his way up the chimney to escape the burning shop. He finally got to the top of the chimney and glanced around at the roofs of the other shops around him. If he could only jump off the chimney onto the adjacent roof, it would only be about a six foot drop, and a distance of four feet. If he missed the edge of the roof though, he'd plummet over twenty feet to the alleyway below. He used his anger and grief, as well as his adrenaline, to force all the strength he could into that one jump.

And he jumped, and sailed through the air, landing nimbly on the roof next to him. He ran to the front of the building, over-looking the crowd screaming in the square.

"Look! It's the boy!" Somebody from the crowd yelled.

"Come down from there! Climb down the wall a little and then we'll catch you!" Another voice yelled out.

Vaan put one foot over the edge of the building, and started to climb down the front of the other shop, using window sills as footholds, and letting himself fall gently onto the porch of the store. He got to his feet and looked over at Migelo's shop which was now crumbling before his very eyes.

He clenched his fists in anger and despair, letting himself fall to his knees. He closed his eyes and lifted his head to the starry sky; the inside of his eyelids were lit up red from the bright blazing of the fire against the night. He felt hands tugging at him to get up and words of advice and terror, but he blocked it all out and let his mind go numb.

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Vaan lied in the middle of the alleyway, curled up in a fetal position, trying to sleep as much as he could. It was the morning after the fire. He had nowhere to sleep that night, and didn't feel like talking to anybody, so he refused their kind invites to spend the night. He was a street urchin, this is what he did. There was a collection of other young boys and girls in the alleyway, all trying to do the same thing Vaan did.

He finally grew restless and sat up, his face expressionless. Migelo and Kytes had been murdered. Penelo had been murdered. Migelo's shop was burned down. Anything he had left in his life was taken away. He had nothing.

A small girl, no older than eight or nine, walked over to Vaan, struggling to carry a large wooden bucket of water.

"Do you want to wash your face off a little?" The girl offered, her voice innocent, high-pitched, and kind. "You have black soot all over."

Vaan looked down at his arms and legs and saw that he was speckled black from the soot, burned wood, and embers of the burning shop. He looked up at the girl who stared at him with smiling eyes. And momentarily, he smiled, and he forgot about what happened, comforted by the gesture of this little girl.

"Don't you want that water to clean yourself off too?" Vaan asked.

"Oh no, we have a bath. My mommy got this bucket of water and wanted me to bring it to you while she got some breakfast ready for you," the girl replied.

"Your mommy?" Vaan questioned, resting his head against the wall of the alley.

"Yep! I'm Virginia Cobblestone! You brought my mommy bread last week," the girl replied.

Vaan smiled at the name and the gesture the family had offered him.

"Of course," Vaan added, standing up from the dusty ground.

The other children in the alleyway glanced over at him to see what he was doing.

He cupped water in his hands and immersed his face in the pool of water. He continued to wipe some of the soot off his arms and legs with it as the girl stared on happily. Suddenly, a young boy, probably around ten years old, jumped out from the shadows and grabbed the bucket, pushing the girl backwards.

In instant reflex, Vaan caught the boy by the hand, punched him hard in the stomach and shoved him to the ground.

"Hey! What're you doing!" Vaan yelled as he did so, walking toward Virginia to make sure she was okay.

"I'm thirsty!" The little boy yelled. "I don't have my own bucket and people won't let me drink from the fountain with my hands!"

Vaan didn't soften his expression at all, but said, "Don't worry, you can have the rest of the-"

And before he could finish another boy had leapt on his back, putting his arm around Vaan's throat. Vaan was much bigger though, reached behind him, and tossed the boy over his shoulder. The boy cried out in pain as the other one yelled in rage. There was a guard at the end of the alley that started to walk in to see what the commotion was.

"C'mon Virginia," Vaan said calmly, grabbing the young girl's hand. "Let's get out of here."

Vaan and Virginia walked toward the guard who didn't stop coming down the alley.

"Are you the boy from the shop?" The guard asked.

Vaan nodded.

"Come with me," The guard said briefly.

The guard escorted Vaan and Virginia out of the alleyway. Vaan looked down at Virginia and said, "Okay, thank you for the water. But go home and tell your Mom that I'll be over later to thank her."

Virginia nodded and scampered away.

"Your majesty!" The guard yelled across the square.

A whole battalion of guards were walking across the square, a young was woman walking in the middle of them.

"Ashe!?" Vaan exclaimed, his face brightening up at the familiar face.

"Yes. Hello, Vaan," Ashe replied in a dignified voice. "I've come to offer my apologies. I'm very sorry about your loss. I'm sorry because the loss in the past week is mine as well."

Vaan nodded, looking past the wall of guards that stood between himself and the Queen.

"If you don't mind, would you like to stay at the castle for a little while? I would love the company," Ashe offered.

"I couldn't possibly stay in a castle, Ashe. That's not my place, I'm not wanted," Vaan replied sadly, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're extremely wanted, not only by myself, but there's a guest at the castle as well who wants to see you," Ashe smiled. "Please accept my invitation."

Vaan smiled back and replied, "Okay. I accept. Thank you so much, Ashe."

The guards allowed Vaan to step in the middle of their crowd at Ashe's request, and the whole group slowly walked back to the castle. Vaan was curious why Ashe wasn't more open and happy, but he understood that she had a certain demeanor that she needed to maintain. They took their time getting back to the castle, and when they finally did, Ashe walked Vaan into the main hall, dismissing her bodyguards.

She smiled once again, opened her arms, and embraced Vaan in a hug, saying, "I'm terribly sorry about Penelo, Vaan. And I'm sorry about the shop as well. It's been an awful week. I can't imagine what you must be going through."

Vaan hugged her back, closed his eyes, and really thought about how he was feeling. He had explained to Kytes the previous day how much tragedy there had been in his life, but as he thought of everything, he realized he wasn't as sad as he thought he should be.

"I feel numb, Ashe," Vaan spoke quietly into her ear.

The two old friends stood alone in the main hall of the castle. The hall itself was enormous, created by the best architects and designed by the best artists. There were massive collages of stained glass on the dome fifty feet above their heads. Light was shining through, and gentle colors of blue, red, and purple wandered throughout the room, reflecting off the particles of dust floating in the air.

"I'm so sorry, Vaan," Ashe said again.

That's all she felt she could say. She really didn't know how much sadness he was really feeling, and she would have been very surprised if Vaan had spoke his mind and said that he wasn't as sad as he should be. The two remained in their embrace for well over a minute, not uttering any words at all. They stood there in embrace, soaking up the colors from above.

"I hate to interrupt," A voice said from the entrance of the hall, "But is that young Vaan?"

Ashe turned her head to see who was speaking, and Vaan opened his eyes and peered over Ashe's shoulder at the man who was slowly walking into the room. The sound of his footsteps came methodically, and his voice was strong and deep.

"Do I know you?" Vaan asked, letting go of Ashe.

"Vaan, this was the other visitor I told you about," Ashe blurted, turning to Vaan.

Vaan looked at the man before him. The man wore straight-legged black slacks that had a black button down shirt tucked into them. He sported a set of leather boots and a long scabbed sword at his waist. His eyes were a friendly green color, his hair light brown, medium length, combed over to the side. He had a wide grin with a set of pearl white teeth and a strong chin with defined cheekbones.

"So this is the guest that wanted to see me?" Vaan said outloud, his voice echoing in the large hall.

"Yes," Ashe started. "This man retired from his command to live his own life and get back to being a common citizen. He is no enemy of ours, I can assure you of that."

Vaan stared at Ashe, eager for her to not just continue, but to get on with it and tell him who the man really was.

"Vaan," Ashe addressed. "This is Judge Magistre Zargabaath."

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Haha okay everybody, this chapter was a little longer than I liked, but what the heck, why not. I hope you're enjoying the first two chapters, I've yet to even touch upon the ultimate plot of my story, so I hope you're all still interested, because there is PLENTYYYY more to come! Until next time ;-)


	3. Chapter 3: Negotiations

Alright everybody, and so my story continues:

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I'm sorry I had left you on such a cliffhanger as of our last visit. You must be wondering what the former judge was doing with Queen Ashe, but I guarantee you, his importance to my recollection of history is vital. And so I shall continue.

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"Zargabaath?" Vaan questioned, his eyebrows furrowing in disappointment at the name. "What are you doing here?"

Zargabaath smiled at Vaan, his eyes expressionless, then replied, "I'm here to negotiate with Queen Ashelia. King Larsa and Judge Gabranth should be here momentarily as well. They were conversing upstairs when I left them."

"Larsa and Basch are here?!" Vaan exclaimed, turning to Ashe to see if it was true.

Ashe nodded in reply, "I think I can hear them coming now."

Vaan looked at the door that Zargabaath had come through, and indeed, Larsa was walking with Basch by his side. Larsa came close to the door and opened it even wider, striding through into the gigantic hall.

"Vaan!" Larsa greeted, quickening his pace toward his adolescent friend.

"Great to see you, Larsa," Vaan replied, awkwardly shaking hands with Larsa, feeling way too formal as he did it.

"Judge Gabranth, it's great to see you as well," Vaan added. "I hope all is well."

"All is well," Basch replied, his voice muffled through the iron helmet he wore.

"Come, let us all move to a more comfortable area," Ashe suggested, leading everyone else to the other side of the hall to another enormous set of oak doors.

She yanked hard on the handle of one of the doors, and it slowly moved open. Ashe pushed the door open wider and led the others into the adjacent room. A dark red carpet covered the entire floor of the room. There was a long, luxurious white couch on one half of the room with two single padded recliner-looking chairs across from it. The walls were a pastel white covered in pictures with gold painted frames. On the far side of the room was a slate fireplace, and the room was dimly lit by some intricately made torches that sat on the walls, yet it was still bright enough to see because light was shining through the windows and the red curtains. It was a very relaxing setting.

Ashe walked over and took a seat on one of the single chairs, Larsa took a seat on the other. Basch, Vaan, and Zargabaath all took a seat on the sofa. Vaan let himself fall into the soft cushion of the sofa. He felt like he'd never felt such a comfortable seat in all his life. He thought about how nice it must be to be royalty.

"Vaan, I wanted to offer my condolences," Larsa spoke. "I'm sorry for all your losses in the past week."

As Vaan smirked and nodded in acknowledgment to Larsa, Basch spoke, "I too offer my condolences, Vaan. If there's anything we can do, please let us know."

"Thank you, both of you," Vaan replied in gratitude. "I'm okay though."

"Well, not to change the mood at all, although I certainly sympathize, we have other matters to discuss," Zargabaath interjected.

"Yes, we do," Basch added. "Rozarria has become restless once again. Their nobles and politicians have been sending death threats and spreading rumors of war. We cannot afford to have Archadia battle Rozarria anymore. It has something that has gone on for far long enough."

"We've been in contact with Al-Cid though, and he's doing all he can to appease those beneath him," Ashe added. "How much more can we honestly do? Al-Cid may have the position of king, but there are those in the government that still have power to oppose him, and if there's enough popular opinion, overthrow him. What do you suggest we do?"

"Wait, why did you want to talk with me, Zargabaath?" Vaan blurted out. "Why am I here for this?"

"Hold your chocobos, kiddo," Zargabaath replied jokingly. "We're getting there. Go ahead Judge Gabranth, continue."

"Well, as some of you may know, my brother and I were born and raised in the Republic of Landis, one of the nations between Rozarria and Dalmasca. As you also know, Dalmasca and Nabradia are also nations between Archadia and Rozarria. Among the other nations that live here, Bhujerba is up in the skies, and Balfonheim is controlled by Archadia. All these city states suffer whenever Archadia and Rozarria happen to go to war. So, our plan, is to make Landis a more powerful republic and give the other small city-states enough power and unity to become a third superpower in the region, along with Archadia and Rozarria. Zargabaath is the one who thought the plan up after he retired, and he came to me with the suggestion. I believe it is the best way to avoid war, or at least sway Rozarria from its attacks, and so I presented the case to Larsa, who also agrees."

"And so, we need everybody's help to do this," Zargabaath added. "Queen Ashelia, we ask that you help Landis monetarily and militarily during this time. When Landis rises up and becomes a more powerful and influential nation, then perhaps it can either unify or become friendly with Dalmasca. And Vaan, we wanted your help so that you could do odd jobs for us, things that an adventurous boy like yourself might want to do. We can explain the details of it later, but are you at least interested."

Vaan thought for a moment. He thought about the plan itself, whether or not he could trust Zargabaath, how it would work out, and what he had to lose, among many other things. He thought about what he had left. He had nothing in Rabanastre. He had no more family, no close friends, no job, no place to stay, nothing.

After a moment, he looked at Basch and said, "Yeah, I'm interested. Continue on, and later you can fill me in."

Basch nodded.

"Well, based on the outline of your plan, Dalmasca is more than willing to lend her resources," Ashe added. "It depends on what exactly you need and who's overseeing it."

"And you shall most certainly have Archadia's help as well," Larsa spoke.

"Well, this was all my idea in the first place, and Judge Gabranth wanted to help me with it directly, but he has his own duties to attend to. I will be overseeing the entire project myself. I have already had preliminary talks with the Landis Republic and they are in agreement that they want this to happen and that I can oversee it. They also want reassurance that Lord Larsa and Queen Ashelia, as well as their hometown hero, Judge Gabranth, will oversee it as well," Zargabaath mentioned.

"Then it shall be done," Ashe consented.

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"Prime Minister," Al-Cid Margrace said in his thick accent, cocking his head to one side, twirling his sunglasses in his right hand, "The requests of your party as well as the nobles below me are absurd."

"Absurd? How?" The Prime Minister asked, seated across Al-Cid.

The two men were in Al-Cid's office, they were not alone though, Al-Cid's personal assistant stood behind his chair. Al-Cid tilted his chair back behind his wooden desk. The Prime Minister sat before the desk, his hands folded in his lap. The Prime Minister wore long robes of green and a tall bishop's hat that was white with green outlining. Al-Cid felt that he was much too casual to stay in the throne room all day. His own office was more personal and relaxing. He also refused to wear a crown or robes of any sort. He wore the same purple shirt, buttoned up low on his chest, and the same white pants that hugged his hips and kept his shirt tucked in.

"Because you are asking me to instigate a war with Archadia over nothing," Al-Cid replied.

"Over nothing? Lord Margrace, I can assure you there is every reason to consider waging war against Archadia. And I know you're already aware of the reasons to do so," The Prime Minister replied. "And although you may be King, there are enough people who want this war. All it takes is once act of violence. One act of terrorism. One act of aggression. On either country's part. There is enough tension throughout the nations to support a war against though, although their leaders may not want it. Your power is only as strong as the people's word, sir."

"Prime Minister," Al-Cid spoke up, "It sounds like you are threatening my word and challenging my power. This is something I am no stranger to, I can assure you. But, it is also something I must not let go unnoticed. I understand you concern, but your arguments have been faulty in my opinion. And although others may not think so, it is my opinion that counts. Because I do have the power."

"You may do as you wish. But I can also assure you, that this pressure will not leave your shoulders," The Prime Minister glared.

"And is that all that you have come here to say?" Al-Cid asked, putting emphasis on the word "all", trying to downplay the Prime Minister's visit.

"Yes, Lord Margrace, that is all," The Prime Minister spat back.

"Then you are dismissed."

"Do not forget what I say," The Prime Minister hissed as he stood up from his chair.

"Believe me," Al-Cid started, rocking back further in his chair, "I've had enough politicians and nobles to come to my office saying the very same thing you have. I've heard it enough that I memorized their words after the eighth or ninth visit."

The Prime Minister bowed his head slightly, keeping his eyes fixated on Al-Cid. He turned and left the room, opening and shutting the door as he walked through the doorframe.

Al-Cid let out a long sigh and spun around in his chair. His assistant stood there like a statue. He finished the spin and stood up from his chair. He brushed some of his long hair out of his face and crossed his arms roughly.

"Sir, you should lie down. It's been a stressful few weeks," The assistant finally spoke.

"Do you think they're all right?" Al-Cid asked, staring out through the open doors of his balcony out toward the horizon.

"Sir, the feud between Rozarria and Archadia as always been present."

"Alas, that's what everybody keeps saying, but they miss the fact that the current leaders of the countries have not been present."

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"So has Larsa been behaving?" Ashe asked, leaning against the rail of the second floor balcony.

"He behaves more than I do," Basch smiled. "Such a mature young man, I don't know where it came from."

"I do," Ashe said, crossing her arms loosely. "He's still so young. He's never seen war with his own eyes. He's never lost a true loved one. His father was killed, and his brother as well, but they didn't hold a special place in his heart like we would consider. He's never been exposed to love or romance, he's never been out as a common person. Even as he wandered around the nations, he was always there for diplomatic reasons. It's because he's still basically a child, and still so young. He is not tainted in any way, and as long as he does not witness anything to make him think otherwise, he will always have that simple way of thinking. That's why he's so pure."

Basch nodded in agreement. He was slowly walking across the open balcony in a slow pace. He had his hands placed on the armor of his hips, his head bowed down slightly, looking at the ground.

"And have you been behaving?" Basch asked, pivoting on one foot, his face looking up at Ashe.

She chuckled and raised one of her crossed arms to rest under her chin. Her eyes sparkled as she replied smugly, "When have I ever not behaved?"

Basch raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well, when you decided to stick to the story that you had committed suicide and you ran around as part of a group of Insurgents to overthrow one nation to regain a conquered one."

"That's not misbehaving, that's have fun," Ashe smiled.

There was a light breeze blowing over the balcony. It blew strands of brown hair over Ashe's face, and made the bottom of her long white skirt flutter. She had to adopt a new style of clothing once she was coronated a month ago. She wore a long white skirt and a white shit that was cut to rest on her shoulders and fall to the middle of her abdomen, exposing her thin waist.

"Yes, it was a lot of fun," Basch said thoughtfully. "I can only imagine how bored you must be getting sitting around in the castle."

"Sitting around? Please," Ashe tilting her head back a little, "I go off into the deep dungeons and thick woods every day on wondrous adventures collecting new treasures for my castle."

"Ah, so the life of a sky pirate?" Basch said sarcastically.

Ashe paused for a moment. The word 'sky pirate' instantly brought Balthier to her mind, and the sudden thought made her mind stop ticking for a moment. She missed Balthier. He was a breath of fresh air, a witty person in her life when it was usually full of diplomatic and and formal facades.

"No, I live the life of a Queen. There's no deep dungeons or thick woods in my life," Ashe said slowly.

"Who would have ever thought? A wild stallion being cooped up in a stall," Basch winked.

"Excuse me! Are you calling me a wild horse! How dare you!" Ashe said jokingly, lightly pushing Basch's shoulder.

Basch squared his shoulders to Ashe, taking a step forward. Basch, in his massive armor, loomed over the young woman, his eyes narrowing under his furrowed eyebrows.

"Don't touch me," He said in a dangerous, monotone voice.

Ashe was taken back, quickly reeling back from the large man in front of her.

Basch's face relaxed and a wide grin grew from ear to ear.

Ashe let out a quick breath of surprise and then laughed, "How dare you scare me like that Basch! Who do you think you are!"

He reached out and pushed his shoulder again as Basch retaliated with a light push back of his own.

"Keep your hands off me! You're going to get a beating for that, Basch!" Ashe laughed, punching his chest softly.

"Shh, shh, shh, hush Ashe," Basch whispered forcefully, "I can't be called by the name Basch, I'm Judge Gabranth now, people are going to hear you."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Ashe replied softly.

"But more importantly," Basch continued with a wink, "They're going to think I'm ravishing you up here."

Ashe bit her bottom lip as she lightly pushed Basch one more time, "In your dreams, _Judge Gabranth_," she said jokingly.

The two stopped for a moment and looked at each other out there on the peaceful, breezy, balcony. Ashe took a step forward, and put her arms around Basch's neck and gave him a hug. He returned the embrace, trying to wrap his arms around her in his bulky armor.

"Wait," Basch interjected, letting go of Ashe.

He reached down to the right and left sides of his chest plate and unbuckled the sides. He unclipped the tall shoulder plates as well and pulled them down his arm. He unhinged the chest plate and pulled it over his head, setting all his upper armor on the ground. Then, he looked at Ashe, and spread his arms out wide.

She rushed into his arms into a tight embrace, nuzzling her face into the soft cloth of his undershirt.

"I've missed you, Basch. It's been over a year since I've seen you. I mean, sure I've written letters, but it's not the same at all," Ashe said softly.

"I've missed you too. I read one of Penelo's letters about two months back, she said that she could tell you missed me. And I knew I couldn't wait to get back and give you a hug like just like this," Basch replied.

"It's awful what happened to Penelo, isn't it?"

"It is. Vaan is taking it extraordinarily well though. I can only wonder what must be going through his head."

"Where is he right now?"

"He's in the castle with Larsa probably exploring or thinking of some wild stories or something."

"And Zargabaath?"

"After our meeting he went to lie down for a bit. He briefly talked to Vaan about what we want him to do, but I'm not sure where he is now."

"What do you have in mind for Vaan?"

"Nothing special. Just little odd jobs and some foreign relation stuff. Like messages and deliveries and whatnot."

Ashe let go of Basch and said, "You should get your armor back on now and we can head back in."

"Absolutely," Basch nodded.

Basch reached down and put all his armor back on. He had left his helmet inside, it was hot enough in Rabanastre, he didn't need the helmet to make it any worse. He offered the crook of his arm to Ashe. She smiled and put her arm through his, and let him escort her back inside.

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Welllllll that's Chapter 3. This chapter gives a ROUGH outline of the BEGINNING of my plotline hehe. It gets much more twisted and complicated ;), but I figured it was about time you had some idea where this story is going.


	4. Chapter 4: Movement

Alrighttt, here comes chapter 4!!!

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Welcome back. It's a pleasure to see that you have decided to return and hear the continuation of my story. Two days have passed since Larsa, Basch, and Zargabaath met with Vaan and Ashe. I know you must be teeming to hear the details of how history is changed, so I'll spare you my introduction and continue with the journey of our heroes:

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"Ahh, gorgeous day out, isn't it Fran?" Balthier said, smiling pleasantly, holding his face up to the rays of the sun.

"Sunny as always. The weather is always beautiful here on the Phon Coast," Fran replied, peering around the area.

"It's a shame we had to leave Archades so soon though. I had been collecting so much loot from the rich side of town. I'd much rather have stayed and kept pushing my luck."

"We've already collected more than enough loot, Balthier. What we sold was worth thousands of Gil. So let's sell lay low for while here on the Phon Coast, and perhaps we can return," Fran replied, picking up the empty sack beside her that had previously been full of jewelery and artifacts.

"It was terribly easy too, like stealing candy from a baby," Balthier smirked.

Fran's eyes continued to scan the area. Then she noticed them. Archadian airships coming in fast, about seven of them. She nudged Balthier and nodded her head in their direction.

"Please, Fran. I'm sure that I covered my tracks, and I hardly think that they know I'm here on the Phon Coast," Balthier assured smugly.

They watched the small Archadian airships come closer until they all hovered over the beach. They all descended at once and landed on the shore. A group of soldiers from each airship walked out and formed into a battalion that appeared to be led by one commander. They marched toward the item seller and conversed with her for a moment.

The item seller turned her head and pointed across the way at Balthier and Fran. The commander turned his head in their direction as well.

Balthier's eyes went wide and his head snapped over in Fran's direction, "They're looking for us."

"There's no way we can escape into the surrounding areas, they have airships," Fran commented.

"Alright Fran, you ready for another wild ride?" Balthier spoke as the sides of his mouth curled up into a devious grin.

Suddenly, Balthier dashed over toward the direction of the airships, and before Fran could ask what crazy idea he had, she followed him. They sprinted about thirty yards to the closest Archadian airship, and when they got to the loading ramp they heard the soldiers behind them yell out.

Balthier entered the middle of the airship, which happened to be empty. He knew this model of airship, it was a model that was made after an older, smaller airship once called the _Moogle_. Straight ahead was a set of seven stairs that led straight to the cockpit. He ran straight forward and bounded up the stairs. There were two Archadian pilots sitting in the cockpit.

Balthier pounced on the first one, karate chopped him in the throat and then decked the helpless pilot in the jaw. The pilot fell out of the cockpit chair and sprawled on the floor. Before the other pilot could react, Fran was already doing the same to him.

"Alrighty, Fran," Balthier started, "Aren't we lucky they left the engine running for us?"

Fran knew exactly how to pilot this model, and the first thing she did was close the ramp before the soldiers got there, which she did right in the knick of time. Balthier pushed some more configuration buttons, pulled a lever back, and the small airship levitated in the air.

"Woohoo!" Balthier cried, "Let the chase begin!"

The airship lurched forward across the water. Fran looked in the mirrors around her and saw that the other six airships were quickly airborne and hot on their tail.

"Where do plan on going?" Fran asked.

Balthier shrugged and replied, "Who knows?"

The chase went on for a little while, but since Balthier and Fran had the head start they were able to maintain distance between themselves and the Archadians. That was, until more Archadian airships came into sight from the distance.

"Ah, dammit," Balthier cursed. "They got in contact with the other airships."

The airships ahead of them opened fire and started to shoot at the rogue airship.

"Blast! They want to gun us down?!" Balthier cried.

"I suggest we land before we are injured," Fran pointed out, turning toward Balthier.

"Yeah, yeah," Balthier said unhappily.

Balthier turned the ship to the right and kept flying for another five minutes. It appeared as though there were no more shots, those first ones were only warning shots. They finally came to land, and Balthier landed the airship. They dropped the back ramp, and Balthier and Fran walked out slowly, their hands raised in the air.

"Balthier Bunanza?" The commander of the soldiers said after the soldiers had gotten off their airships.

"Yep, I'm the bloke you want," Balthier said in a melancholy tone.

"We have orders to take you with us back to Archadia," The commander continued.

The commander nodded at two soldiers and had them rush forward and grab Balthier's hands. They didn't touch Fran though.

"What, no handcuffs or restraints?" Balthier questioned.

"No sir, we're merely escorting you," The commander replied.

"Sir?" Balthier questioned, raising his eyebrow at the fact that the commander called him sir.

"I cannot disclose any more information, you must come with us," The commander said.

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"Pleasant day for a walk, isn't it your Highness?" The short political advisor said to Al-Cid as they strolled through a garden of the castle, Al-Cid's assistant following close behind.

"It's always nice to soak up the outdoors," Al-Cid replied, taking his sunglasses from his assistant's hand.

"Quite true," the advisor added, keeping pace with the exotic king.

"How nice of you to ask me to take a walk with you as well, it's not often that I can enjoy the company of someone who wants to talk only politics," Al-Cid said, eyeing the political advisor and the uncomfortable expression that formed on his face when Al-Cid said that.

"Well... this walk isn't merely for casual enjoyment... your Majesty," the political advisor said uneasily. "I asked you to come with me so we could talk more about the current situation."

"Current situation?" Al-Cid questioned, raising his eyebrow, pretending not to know what this man was going to tell him.

"I'm sure you're aware," The advisor continued.

Al-Cid stopped walking and said sarcastically, "Ahhhh. The current situation! You mean the situation that everybody keeps talking about? The one about Archadia having some secret plans to attack us? Or that we should take Archadia now while they're peaceful, so that future rulers don't attack us? Or how Archadia is untrustworthy? That completely slipped my mind. Odd too, seeing as that's all I've heard coming from anybody these past few weeks."

"Sir, I humbly ask that you do not take this crisis with a grain of salt."

"Crisis?" Al-Cid said questioningly. "When did rumors start to become a crisis?"

"Sir, these are no rumors," The political advisor continued.

"Advisor, all reasons to fight are gone," Al-Cid stated matter-of-factly.

"Ah, but I assure you they are not. Larsa Solidor IS from House Solidor. And no matter who rules each country, the two nations have always had struggles for power, one premature teenager will not change that. There is too much history between us to suddenly ignore the fact that our nations have always been enemies."

"I still haven't heard any reasons why Rozarria should attack Archadia," Al-Cid said bluntly.

"Sir," Al-Cid's assistant butted in. "You've heard plenty of reasons why they are not trustworthy. Surely you can see some truth in all of them?"

"I see more truth in saying that it's Daylight when the Moon is out than saying that Larsa Solidor is an untrustworthy and dangerous leader," Al-Cid spat. "What are you strategies? To overwhelm me with propaganda until I'm brainwashed into thinking it's true? Well, that strategy might have worked on all of you, but I assure you, it will not work on me."

"Your Highness, it won't be long until the people decide to overthrow you," The advisor stated.

"Another threat?!" Al-Cid exclaimed. "That's all I've been hearing lately! I'm going back to my office, and make sure of it that neither of you follow me there."

Al-Cid turned and started to walk angrily back to his office. He couldn't believe what these people were trying to get him to do. And especially after all the hard work that went into creating the peace.

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"Amazing," Zargabaath said to himself, standing on a hill overlooking the capital city, Genard-Fo-Deen, of Landis.

In the past few days traders and merchants from Bhujerba, Archadia, and Dalmasca all flocked to Genard-Fo-Deen to being trading and creating an economic market. The city had been quiet and still the previous week, but as Zargabaath stood on the top of the hill, now he could hear the crowds and noises of the marketplace from the hill that stood no more than a thousand feet away.

"It will only get busier," Marquis Ondore spoke, turning to Zargabaath. "Pretty soon, the soldiers that the nations have sent will arrive, and you can begin to train them."

"And I can't wait for that. I'll be able to teach them the Archadian art of combat."

"As well as the strategies of air warfare," The Marquis smiled. "The preliminary Airship dock shall be done within the week. It will be able to hold over three hundred airships when it's completely finished. And I trust you still want Bhujerba to lend you a few of those airships for your merchants in the meantime?"  
"Very much so," Zargabaath nodded. "I thank you again for your cooperation, Marquis."

"Are you still thinking of implementing the draft for the Republic?" Ondore questioned, turning back to the bustling city in the twilight of the late afternoon.

"Yes, at first I will. We must get a strong army here before any progress can be made. That way, once the army is created and the economy is rich, people will begin to immigrate here, and as time goes on, the population will grow and flourish."

"Have you talked to the Republic about appointing a leader?"

"I have, multiple times. For now they wish to keep it a Republic, so they can oversee the changes and make sure it's to their liking. But they've said that eventually they would like to make me the ruler of Landis."

"Quite an honor," The Marquis said quietly, nodding slightly.

"Quite a burden. But it is what Judge Gabranth and I have been willing to sacrifice. This needs to be done for the good of Ivalice. Pretty soon, Balfonheim will be given its sovereignty, Nabradia will be given a leader to revive itself, and hopefully the viera will decide to cooperate. Bhujerba will soon become an important ally as well," Zargabaath added.

"Well, keep up the good work," The Marquis spoke.

The two leaders remained still, overlooking the the gradual change in the city.

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The soldiers tugged Balthier along, not in a rough manner though. Which was odd, considering he was a big time thief, and he robbed an extraordinarily large amount of people. Fran followed behind, also being escorted by the guards. They had arrived in Archades already, and it appeared as though the commander was escorting them to the castle.

"Are we really going to the castle? And not the jail or the courthouse?" Balthier questioned, nervous as to where they were going.

"I told you, details are not to be spoken of," the commander replied, turning his head.

The guards, Balthier, and Fran walked in silence the rest of the way through the city until they finally came to the gates of the looming castle. The guards opened the gates, and they continued to walk inside.

_Oh no, this is not good. Anytime a crook is brought straight into the castle it's never good. Don't I get a trial? _Balthier thought. _Oh no! They're not going to execute me on the spot, are they!? That's an outrageous penalty for thievery! I need to calm down._

They continued up the main stairwell and through the winding corridors of the castle until they got to a large set of oak doors. The commander rapped his knuckles on the door lightly.

"Come in," a quiet voice said behind the doors.

The commander opened one door and led Balthier and Fran in. They stood in the middle of what appeared to be an open courtyard. On the far side was a desk, and in the middle was a small pool of clean water. Grass grew around the rest of the courtyard, except for where the desk was. That half of the yard was covered in a concrete floor. And behind the desk, sat Larsa Solidor, and a fully armored Judge Gabranth.

"Greetings," Larsa spoke, signing a paper on his desk.

_Oh my God. _Balthier thought. _It's the execution paper!_

Larsa stood up holding the piece of paper and walked over to Fran and Balthier, Judge Gabranth following close behind.

_He's going to hand me the paper and order me into the dungeons! I should start begging for my life right now!_ Balthier thought, frightened. _No! I need to remain calm and collected. Maybe I can weasel my way out_.

Larsa handed the piece of paper to the commander and said, "Give this to the messenger to give to Zargabaath. It's the confirmation for Archadian soldiers."

_Phew,_ Balthier thought, relieved.

"It's good to see you both again!" Larsa exclaimed, smiling at his two visitors. "Everybody else, you may be excused."

The commander and soldiers nodded, turned and walked away.

"May I ask what we're doing here?" Balthier questioned, trying to play dumb.

"Yes, you must be so confused right now. We made sure not even the guards knew what we had in mind for you though, just in case it didn't go accordingly," Larsa replied.

"What.. you had in mind?" Balthier said slowly, swallowing hard.

"Basch, go right ahead," Larsa spoke, stepping back.

Basch removed his helmet and looked sternly at Balthier. Balthier fell to his knees and started to plead, "Please Basch! Please spare me! The punishment does not fit the crime!"

Basch raised an eyebrow, "The crime? What are you talking about Balthier?"

"Don't try to fool me! I know why you brought me here!"

Basch laughed, "Whatever you're thinking Balthier, I can assure you that you have no idea why we really brought you here."

"Oh," Balthier said, a little embarrassed, standing up quickly. "Then why are we here?"

"Balthier," Basch started, pacing back and forth. "For the past year and two months, Balfonheim has remained leaderless. After Reddas gallantly sacrificed his life to destroy the Sun-Cryst, they have not reinstated a new leader under the orders of Archadia. We've decided to change that."

"Wait, what does this have to do with the rich part of Arch-" Balthier started, as he was suddenly interrupted by Fran elbowing him hard in the ribs.

"What?" Basch questioned, stopping in mid pace.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing," Balthier covered up, slowly looking at Fran.

"Alright. Well, Zargabaath and myself have decided to take it upon ourselves to create a stronger nation in between Archadia and Rozarria. We want the city-states to become more powerful and sovereign. We've already begun preparations on Landis, Bhujerba is already in the right direction, and Nabradia is slowly being revived. Larsa has decided to give Balfonheim its sovereignty so that it may become a free city state. We are also hoping to convince the viera to do the same. But, Zargabaath and myself have decided to appoint you as the new leader of Balfonheim."

Balthier's jaw dropped, "Leader of Balfonheim?"

"That's right," Larsa nodded, stepping forward again. "We knew we could trust you, and you already had strong political ties to people like myself, the Marquis, Al-Cid, and Ashe. We though it be best if you were appointed the leader. It's not a very powerful or problematic area, so we figured it wouldn't be too strenuous."

"You can trust me? Well, of course you can," Balthier said uneasily. "I couldn't possible fulfill what you're asking though. I'm a sky pirate."

"Please Balthier, we beg of you. It was Queen Ashe herself that brought up the idea, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to disappoint her," Larsa continued.

"Well, for now I'll say yes," Balthier replied. "It sounds like quite a good experience, you know, to be rich and powerful and all. But I'll have to think about it more."

"Well, if you say yes for now, then we can get started," Basch commented. "Get whatever things packed that you may need, and we'll send you on your way to Balfonheim."

"Now?!" Balthier exclaimed. "Isn't this a little hasty?"

"Not at all, we've had our course of action planned out for weeks now, so you can already be on your way," Basch said quickly, walking toward Balthier. "Fran, stay here, because we have our own assignment for you as well."

"Wait! Fran's not coming?!" Balthier cried, trying to resist Basch. "Then I'm definitely not going."

"No, Balthier. Go. Now," Fran instructed. "Do as your told. We will speak soon."

"But-" Balthier continued.

"No. Go," Fran said forcefully.

Basch escorted Balthier out of the room toward the airship dock.

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	5. Chapter 5: Fleeing

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Ah, my reader, I am glad to see that you have come back to hear the next part of my story. Four days have passed by since the end of my last chapter. There is an important event coming soon that will affect how the rest of history plays out, and I have every intention of filling you with every detail. And so if you will allow me to, I shall continue my story:

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"STRIKE!" Zargabaath roared.

As the ex-Judge Magistre yelled his instruction, the four hundred men in front of him swung their blades down into the tall bundle of hay stacked in front of them. Zargabaath had enforced a draft on Landis, and the men from ages 18 to 40 were all enlisted. The turnout ended up being roughly four thousand men altogether. Zargabaath decided to hold physical tests of athleticism and strength to pick out the four hundred best so he could train to be an elite force.

"TURN! And STRIKE!" Zargabaath cried.

The four hundred men spun around and with a backhanded swing of their sword they hacked deep into the bundle of hay. He continued these preliminary fighting moves for the next twenty minutes, and then had the men spar one on one using wooden swords for the next few hours; they had already been training all afternoon. Basch and other low-ranking Archadian generals were training the rest of the soldiers at the same time.

"Who thinks they're ready to challenge me!?" Zargabaath yelled.

The crowd of men was silent for a moment.

"Attitude, men! Attitude! I should have EVERY man here rushing forward for an attempt to spar with me! If you have any fear or trepidation in your hearts, then I do not care about your physical or fighting abilities! Mindset is priority number one!" Zargabaath hollered. "And so I ask again! Who is ready to challenge me!"

And as he yelled that, over fifty men had begun to step forward. And so Zargabaath eyed the ones who stepped forward, and spotted a young man, most likely in his early twenties, that seemed to be trembling slightly, a look of fear in his eyes.

"You," Zargabaath said, reaching his arm out and pointing directly at the young man.

The young man nodded, stepped forward hesitantly, and drew his blade.

Zargabaath didn't yell a word to commence, he just swung his sword across at the nervous-looking young man.

The young man leaned back and spun, dodging the move without bringing up his sword. Zargabaath charged forward, furiously swinging the blade at the man. The young man then brought his sword up a few times to start parrying the blows, clearly appearing to be on the defensive. The soldiers had all erupted into roars and cheers of encouragement. The young man wasn't changing his tactics though.

Zargabaath certainly wasn't going to change his either; he kept charging forward, violently swinging his blade. And in an instant, the young man had suddenly parried Zargabaath's blow in such a way that Zargabaath's sword was hit downward toward the ground, and the young man lurched forward and tackled Zargabaath. In the process, he had somehow managed to keep his sword in hand and had it pointed at Zargabaath's neck.

This position only lasted for one second though, because on instinct, Zargabaath swung his gloved hand out and knocked the blade out of his face, rolled the young man off him, and with his other gloved hand he reached out and grabbed the young man by the front of the face and slammed his head into the ground. Zargabaath was now on top of the young man, his hand grappling the face of the soldier, throwing the sword to a few feet away.

Zargabaath stood up and pulled the young man up and patted him on the back.

"Learn from this soldier!" Zargabaath yelled. "For the art of war is one full of deception! Deceive your enemy and you will always have the upper hand! And if you see your enemy attempting to do the same, know how to react that! This young man appeared nervous and shaken at my challenge, and so I took his skills lightly. I myself was temporarily fooled by his deception, but it must be easily picked out and countered as I have just done!"

The crowd of soldiers had became silent to hear the orders of their general.

"What is your name, young man?" Zargabaath asked, turning toward the man.

"Jes Leonheart," the young man replied. "I'm the son of a local farmer."

"Jes, it was an honor. You're all dismissed for the day, good work men," Zargabaath instructed.

The men all saluted Zargabaath and started to walk back toward the town. Zargabaath turned as well and saw Basch looking at him from the top of a hill next to the field where they were training. Zargabaath walked casually over to Basch as Basch walked down as well.

"Well, Judge Gabranth, how was the first day?" Zargabaath asked as they got nearer to each other.

"Impressive. Very impressive," Basch replied through his steel helmet. "They are very well trained already, but they were never organized, and their numbers and technology are lacking somewhat. We must thank Lady Ashe once again for supplying all the weapons and armor."

"Indeed. I do hope she comes by to see our progress soon. I have no doubt she'll be pleased," Zargabaath replied, placing his hand on his hip. "How is Balthier adjusting?"

"Very well actually. The town leaders enjoy his personality and wit, and the people have been very impressed with the way he conducts himself. He hasn't changed his personality at all to fit the formalities of the position."

"And the viera?"

"I have not heard back from her yet, but I assume she is doing what we've asked her to do, no doubt," Basch replied.

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"Interesting to see you here, sister. I thought we instructed you never to enter the village again," The viera spoke to the other viera standing in front of her.

"I have come to propose something to you," Fran replied, staring at Jote.

"Yet I can sense that what you propose causes uneasiness inside of you. What do you wish from us?" Jote replied, crossing her arms.

"I ask that you form a real army and become involved with the affairs of the rest of Ivalice," Fran replied.

"Unbelievable. You come here to ask such a ridiculous request?" Jote said in disbelief. "Why don't you give me a blade and just ask me to end my own life?"

"Please, Jote," Fran added, "Heed what I say. Ivalice is an ocean of change. The viera cannot withstand the pull of its tides. You must consider what goes on outside of the wood."

"What is outside the Wood is not my concern. What is inside the Wood is all that matters to us viera. I ask that you leave immediately, and do not return. I'm sorry," Jote replied sternly.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, sister," Fran said sadly. "How do the other viera feel?"

"We feel the same," another female voice said behind them, walking into the small hut.

"Mjrn, a pleasure to see you again," Fran greeted.

Mjrn walked over to Fran and Jote in the quiet tent and stood across from Fran, next to her other sister.

"I can hear your words from outside the tent, and I must disagree with you Fran," Mjrn stated. "It is as you told me many moons ago. Once we leave, the voice of the Wood leaves our ears. It is against the Green Word. We cannot do as you ask, and it is ridiculous to even consider the thought."

Fran nodded slowly, "Well I wish the two of you the best of luck in future endeavors. I hope to see you again someday."

"Goodbye, Fran," Jote spoke calmly.

Fran turned gracefully and walked out of the tent and briskly walked back toward the entrance of Eruyt Village, avoiding the stares of the other viera as she walked down.

_I fear for The Wood and for the viera. They know not what they do,_ Fran thought to herself.

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"Please, before you continue any further, I must ask you to leave," Al-Cid in a very irritated tone.

"What, why?" The noble sitting before him questioned.

"I do not care to hear what you think about our foreign policy. I've heard it too much already. You are dismissed," Al-Cid instructed.

"No! I had a proper hearing arranged with you, and you cannot refuse it now!" The noble exclaimed.

"I most certainly can, and I most certainly will," Al-Cid said smugly, hiding the anger behind his voice.

The noble let out an exasperated sigh and stormed out of the room.

"Sir, you are not going to gain any favor if you treat the rest of the nobles as you have just treated that one," Al-Cid's assistant said softly.

"I won't gain any favor no matter what I do," Al-Cid moaned, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

And what happened next, is something I cannot personally explain. Perhaps you know the feeling when you close your eyes that there's something there. You don't know why, but it's a presence. Or when you're walking, and you feel like someone is watching you? Al-Cid Margrace must have experienced this, because it that moment his eyes shot back open.

And he saw that his assistant had silently unsheathed a dagger and was a foot away from his throat with it.

Al-Cid sat up quickly, dodging the swipe of the pointed blade.

"What!? How dare you!" Al-Cid cried, unsheathing his own two daggers.

"You have become unfavorable within Rozarria. We have no evidence or proof to remove you from the throne, so this is how you shall meet your end," The assistant spoke calmly.

Al-Cid turned and leapt over his desk, running for the door, but his assistant had thrown the dagger, and it spun in the air in Al-Cid's direction. Al-Cid turned just in time to see the knife spinning straight for the back of his head, but he ducked down and let the blade sink into the wood of the door frame. The assistant pulled out another dagger.

"How dare you," Al-Cid spoke furiously.

He turned and faced his assistant who was across the room. He ran forward toward her, as she did the same. Her swing was quicker though and she swung the blade out toward Al-Cid. He threw his left forearm up to try to parry the blade. He meant to block her arm, but instead the dagger went straight through his forearm.

Al-Cid's murderous glare stared at his assistants murderous glare as this happened. And acting as if it never did, Al-Cid swung the dagger in his other hand and shoved it deep into the throat of the assistant. He pulled it out, backed away, her dagger still in his forearm, and sliced deep across her belly, exposing all her intestines and organs.

He pulled out her dagger from his forearm, wincing in immense pain, but realizing that he must escape the castle and Rozarria at once. He couldn't risk going into the hallways, because he wasn't sure who else was in on it. If they saw him walking around freely, or if they found her body in the office, he'd surely be hunted down.

Al-Cid ran to his balcony, but saw that the courtyard was swarming with guards on patrol. If they saw him escaping his balcony by himself they'd all become awfully suspicious. Even though it was now night time and it was dark out, they'd surely see him. And so Al-Cid turned to the other door at the far end of the room: The Lavatory door.

Al-Cid rushed to the lavatory and swung the door open. The Rozarrian castle toilets were nothing more than a toilet seat on a bench that had a shaft that dropped straight down to the underground sewer. That's what he would have to do. He rushed over to the toilet and broke the seat off, exposing the long drop that connected to the sewers.

He grimaced at the thought, but then stepped into the seat, and let himself into the waste shaft. He pressed his arms and legs up against the sides of the shaft so he wouldn't plummet the entire way down into the water and concrete pipeline. He shimmied his body down the shaft, and when he could hear the running water of the underground sewer, he let himself go and fall down into the murky water.

Al-Cid stood up in the pipeline. The water was only about 3 feet high, and judging by the direction it was flowing, he would follow it downstream to the river where it emptied. He had body waste and fluids all over his clothing and he almost felt himself throw up at the thought and smell of it all. He was strong though, and decided to ignore it all and run down down the sewers.

And so he did. And for the next fifteen minutes he continued to run, until he finally came to the end of the sewer. He could see the open river and starry sky from the end of the tunnel, and he jumped out of the end of the pipe, falling twenty feet into the river below. His body sliced through the water, and when he opened his eyes, Al-Cid could only see blackness.

His heart started beating fast, realizing that he narrowly missed the jagged rocks that lined the edge of the cliff. His heart jumped into his throat when he felt something slimy graze past his arm. He was completely submersed in the black, inky water of the river under the dark night. He kept his eyes open underwater, only seeing blackness though. Until no more than ten feet away, he saw two yellow, round things appear. They were eyes. They were staring right at him. And under the water, he suddenly saw the eyes getting closer and under the water there was a high pitched screech coming from the direction of the beast.

Al-Cid kicked furiously to the top of the water, hoping he could hop up onto a shoreline. As he neared the top of the water, he felt the beast bite into his ankle and pull him under. Al-Cid drew a dagger under the water and reached down to stab the animal in the face. When he did so to get close he noticed it was an enormous Anaconda-looking beast. His breath was running out quickly, yet the beast instantly let go of his ankle when he stabbed it into the snake's eye. He kicked to the surface again, ignoring the pain of his forearm and ankle. He saw a small shore nearby, but it wasn't connected to land.

The sewer pipe came out of the cliff wall, and that was what bordered the edge of the river. There was a small bank of shore along the cliff, but it didn't connect to anywhere. Al-Cid would have to get to the shore and then scale the cliff to get to the top.

His fear overwhelmed him entirely though. He had never been in such immediate danger, and although given formal lessons with his daggers, he was never an actual soldier. He knew that much depended on him though, and his will to live was not going to be extinguished. He kicked violently toward the shore and got up on the sandy bank.

From the water came the snake for a second attempt on his life. The snake had long fangs exposed and let out the loud screech that it had screamed under the water. Al-Cid got in position though and had both daggers ready to jab into the animal. Like a cobra, the snake keeled back a little, and then snapped its head forward. Al-Cid threw himself to the ground as the snake did so, but quickly pushed himself up to stick the dagger into the throat of the beast. With his other arm, he wrapped it around the neck of the snake, and furiously stabbed the snake repeatedly on the top of the head.

The snake became limp in his arms and an immense amount of blood soaked up into his shirt. He turned and looked up at the giant cliff that loomed above him. The cliff must have been thirty feet high. He sheathed both daggers, and started to climb the cliff, letting the light of the moon illuminate any foot holds he could find. After much work, effort, and strain on his muscles, Al-Cid neared the top of the cliff.

He pulled himself up on to the grassy top with all his might. His chest heaving with fright and excitement. Before him was a long grassy plain, and the light of the counties around the castle was not too far off.

He would have to somehow get to Dalmasca.

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"Al-Cid escaped?!" An outraged noble yelled, slamming his hands down on the oak table before him.

Around the table sat thirteen nobles of Rozarria.

"Yes," Another noble said, standing up. "We found his assistant dead in his office. She must not have succeeded in her attempt."

"Well where did he go?!" The first one exclaimed.

"He was not seen in the castle, nor the courtyard, but the toilet in his lavatory was broken, we think he might have gone through the sewers."

"I want him FOUND!" the first noble shouted.

The rest all nodded.

"Very well sir. But in the meantime, we can declare that he has left his throne, and you will be given power," another noble proclaimed.

"See that you do. I will retire to my chambers now. Tomorrow we have a busy day of scheduling."

The noble that had just been given his kingly powers walked out of the room toward his bed chambers on the third floor of the castle. He climbed the two flights of stairs and proceeded down the corridor into his bed chamber. He opened the door and walked into the dark room and lit a candle on his desk.

"It's about time you came back," A voice said in the blackness of the room. "I've been waiting for you. I've heard that you've been giving Al-Cid some trouble."

"Who are you!?" The noble hissed.

Before the noble could cry out for help though, he saw the figure leap across the room, and then felt a long blade pierce his stomach. The blade was roughly pulled out, and then he saw the figure swing the sword out. But that was all. Because after that vision, his head had been sliced off.

The assassin turned toward the balcony and left stealthily.

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Hahaha ohh noooo. Hope these chapters aren't too boring, because I still have my huge plotline coming. But I didn't want to rush the story at all, because there's a lot of character development and action that I want to get out of the way. Stay tuned for Chapter 5!!!


	6. Chapter 6: Another Ally

Al-Cid walked slowly through the streets of Rabanastre. He had been journeying by foot and by chocobo to Rabanastre from the edge of Rozarria for the past three days. He now had a black cloak around him with a hood pulled over his head to hide his face. He still wore his bloodied clothes that were soaked in the waste of the sewer, and had a few bandages wrapped around his forearm crudely to stop the bleeding. He also had trouble walking with his bitten ankle. He walked with a shuffle and a limp and the foes he encountered along the journey didn't help either. He was starving and sleep deprived, and had actually sustained a particularly awful injury on the way.

He had to try to fight off some bird, but he didn't have any long rage weapons, only his daggers, and the bird actually ended up pecking into Al-Cid's right eye. After he escaped, he had to rip a piece of his black cloak off and wrap it around his head, tilting it so that it covered his right eye as a makeshift eye patch. He needed to find the Queen soon, and he needed a doctor more than anything.

As he trudged along, people were giving him many strange looks. It was, of course, awkward to see man completely covered in black and wearing a hood in the middle of the afternoon in broad daylight. He finally did come to the castle though and he walked up to the guards who immediately sized him up and stared him down. They were wary of who this stranger was, hobbling along in that attire.

"Is Queen Ashelia here?" Al-Cid rasped, his voice hoarse from not having anything to drink for many many hours.

"State your name, your reason for being here, and whether or not you have an appointment with her," One guard spoke forcefully.

"I'm a messenger from Rozarria bearing word for the Queen," Al-Cid replied.

"Rozarria?" The guard spat. He stepped toward Al-Cid and pushed him backward, "She's not here, but you can wait here on the street for her. She'll decide whether or not she wants to see you when she gets back."

Al-Cid stumbled back a few feet from the shove, but caught himself before he could fall. And so with those instructions, Al-Cid walked over across the street and sat against the wall, hoping he could wait for the Queen's return.

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"Ashe? What a pleasant surprise," Balthier said happily, looking up from his desk and papers.

Ashe walked into the large office in the large home Balthier had been put in, dismissing the servant who had escorted her up.

"I thought I'd come by and see how Balfonheim was doing," Ashe replied curtly.

"Really. To see how Balfonheim was doing? Not to see how I was doing?" Balthier smirked.

"Did I say I came to see how you were doing?" Ashe smiled jokingly.

There were a few seconds of pleasant silence, and then Ashe stood up and walked toward Balthier and stretched her arms open. Balthier looked up at her from his seat and just shook his head in amazement as he stood up, and returned her request for an hug.

The two stood there in the office, embracing each other for a few seconds, enjoying the presence of the other that they had both been without for some time. They let go of each other and Ashe sat back down in her seat.

"So have you been having any problems?" Ashe asked.

"This whole concept of budget is killing me. I never had any problem spending money, but now that I don't have some unlimited supply of things I can steal to sell, I'm not used to having a cap on my budget," Balthier laughed. "What have you been doing lately?"

"I just returned from Landis today. I spent all of yesterday going through the city and making speeches to the people. It appears as though Zargabaath is doing an extremely impressive job. Where has Fran been?"

"Basch told me that they sent Fran to the viera to try to convince them to join our loose band of city-states. We knew it was pointless, but it was worth a shot anyways," Balthier replied,rubbing his hands together. "How long are you staying in Balfonheim?"

"Just a few hours," Ashe answered. "I've been away from the castle for a few days now, so I need to get back to Rabanastre. I expect I might have a few messages or updates from Zargabaath waiting there anyways."

"No doubt some concerning the upheaval in Rozarria as well," Balthier nodded. "You've been informed of the official story they've released right?"

"No," Ashe said, shaking her head. "I've heard rumors and speculation, but not the official statement of their government. I've been away from my castle, and Zargabaath hasn't been handling the foreign affairs, Basch has, so Zargabaath didn't know either."

"Well, it appears as though Al-Cid has officially fled. In the process, it also appears that he violently murdered the next ranking official. After constant refusal to instigate war with Archadia for several weeks, they've said that he betrayed Rozarria by prolonging any war-like efforts so that Rozarria would be open to attack. They've branded him a traitor."

"There's no way Al-Cid would do that though," Ashe replied, her tone clearly astonished.

"I know, but I don't know what else to say or think. Nobody has heard from Al-Cid for several days, nor has anybody seen him," Balthier said sadly.

"That means our efforts must happen even faster now. Because now Rozarria will be making preparations to attack no doubt," Ashe added. "I should be getting back to Rabanastre soon."

"So soon?" Balthier said unhappily. "I didn't get to take you out on any fancy dates or go to any special places."

"Is that what you had in mind?" Ashe replied laughing outloud softly. "Well, if you keep up your government position, maybe it won't sound too bad to the public that I've gone out on a date with a sky pirate."

Ashe gave Balthier a playful wink and stood up from her chair.

"Take care, Balthier," Ashe said.

"You too. I'll look forward to that date in the meantime," Balthier smiled.

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Ashe's airship had sped along and her trip from Balfonheim to Rabanastre went by quickly. She had landed ten minutes ago, and now she was approaching the castle doors escorted by her entourage of guards. As they came finally came close to the doors, Ashe saw the two guards in front of the door turn and face the Queen.

"Queen Ashelia," One knight spoke quietly. "That vagabond over there says that he's a messenger from Rozarria. He's been sitting there for a few hours," he finished as he nodded in Al-Cid's direction.

Ashe turned around and saw the man cloaked and hooded in black twenty feet off. She nodded and motioned to four of her guards to accompany her over there. She had no idea who this man was, or why Rozarria might send her a message, but she hoped deep in her heart that it was a messenger sent by Al-Cid with news. She thought she knew Al-Cid too well for him to ever do anything rash. She had always put her trust in him, knowing that his intentions were good, and ever since she reclaimed Dalmasca they had kept in close touch by sending letters back and forth. Her intent for her expedient departure from Balthier was to hear any news about Al-Cid, and if this man didn't know anything, then she didn't much care. She needed to find out if he was okay.

As they came to the wall of the building, Ashe saw that the man was lying down on his side.

"Messenger," Ashe spoke forcefully, "Who are you, who has sent you, and what message do you bear?"

The man slowly shifted, pushing himself up from the ground so he could sit up. His face was still covered by the hood, but he replied, "I come from the Rozarrian throne bearing a message from the true King. My message is one that must only be told in private."

Ashe reeled back in surprise as she thought, _That accent! The voice! It's Al-Cid himself! But he clearly intends on keeping his identity a secret._

"As you wish, messenger. Guards, please escort the two of us inside to my bed chamber where we may talk in private," Ashe commanded.

"Your highness, your safety is of the utmost importance. We cannot allow such an untrustworthy stranger to walk with you freely and unguarded," one guard replied.

"Yet, somehow you shall. Because that is an order," Ashe answered.

The guards all nodded and escorted Ashe and the cloaked Al-Cid into the castle until they got to the Queen's bedchamber.

"Would you like one of us to remain outside the door?" The guard inquired.

"No thank you," Ashe replied. "I remembered that I've seen this messenger before, and I know that he is legitimate."

The guards nodded, turned, and walked back down the hall. Ashe escorted the cloaked man into her room, shut the door, and locked it behind her.

"Queen Ashelia," Al-Cid said in his raspy voice as he pulled down his hood.

Al-Cid's hair was long and messy as always, yet his face was splattered in blood and coated in dust and dirt. The black cloth that wrapped around his head and eye was what caught Ashe's attention first.

"Al-Cid!" Ashe exclaimed. "It's really you! Are you okay? What are all these rumors flying around?"

"Please, your majesty," Al-Cid started, "Before we speak, I humbly ask for a change of clothes, some bandages, and a bath."

Al-Cid removed his cloak to expose the clothes he wore. Ashe was mortified to see the amount of blood dried and soaked into it as well as the stains of fecal matter. Her eyes darted to his forearm where she saw a bandage falling off that was completely soaked up in blood.

"Oh my goodness!" Ashe cried. "Absolutely, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I humbly ask for those things I requested," Al-Cid replied.

Ashe nodded and stormed out of the room. She went to the royal healer to grab some bandages and antibiotics. She would have her servants start up a bath. And to her discomfort, she walked into the bedroom that she once shared with Rasler, years earlier. After his death, she moved out of the room to her current bed chamber, but she left the old one untouched. Without letting anyone know why Ashe was borrowing men's clothes, she needed to get an old outfit of Rassler's for Al-Cid. In the bedroom, she went over the old wooden dresser and pulled open the third drawer. There was a black tunic and a black pair of pants side by side with each other. Ashe grabbed those, saddened by the flood of old memories, but then turned and rushed back to her room.

"Here," She spoke to Al-Cid. "Right now we'll get you in the bath. After that we can dress you, and then bandage your wounds."

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart," Al-Cid replied to Ashe. "I also ask that you do not reveal to anybody that I am here, for reasons that will become apparent when I tell you my story."

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"Al-Cid, I need to get you to the healer. Your eye is seriously wounded, it need to be looked at and examined," Ashe said, looking up at the former Rozarrian king.

Al-Cid now sat in Ashe's bedroom, fully clothed and freshly bathed, and Ashe was applying creams to his cuts and bandaging them up herself.

"I'm afraid I cannot," Al-Cid replied. "Nobody can get word that I'm alive, where I am, or who's helping me. I fear I cannot trust anyone other than yourself or Lord Larsa."

Ashe looked up at Al-Cid and nodded gravely.

"So what happened to you now? Tell me the whole story," Ashe asked.

"My assistant became in cohorts with my enemies, and one night she had attempted to assassinate me. She was no doubt sent by the other nobles and royalty of Rozarria. I killed her in the process, and escaped into the castle waste sewer. I followed the pipeline to the river and jumped out into the water. It is there I met the large water snake and injured my ankle. Ah, and I forgot, the forearm wound is from my assistant. Well, I killed the snake, and then climbed the cliff back toward the Rozarrian counties. I found a chocobo and rode it straight across the woodland and desert to Dalmasca. I feared that nobody would take me in since my ideas of peace with Archadia were heavily opposed by my citizens. And so I traveled for three days with scarce amounts of food and water until I got to Rabanastre. On the way, a bird had pecked my eye in. I was in much pain, but I knew I couldn't let the raw flesh sit there. I ended up prying my eyeball out, and I did in fact find a healer to help me a little bit. But I had my eye removed, and I ended up here. The noble who was assassinated was done so not by me, but surely be someone else. They just pinned it on me to give the citizens a reason to hate me and not help me."

Ashe was astounded by what Al-Cid had gone through. She knelt there, still bandaging his forearm, but was trying to swallow all this new information at the same time.

"I fear Rozarria will begin their movements to organize an army and resources fairly soon. I also fear for the rest of Ivalice as well," Al-Cid continued.

"Al-Cid," Ashe interjected. "How would you like to help fight against Rozarria?"

"How so, my lady?" Al-Cid replied.

"For the past few weeks, ex-Judge Magistre Zargabaath, Lord Larsa, Judge Gabranth, Marquis Ondore, and myself have been organizing the city-states to gain more power, so that the power struggle will not be between Archadia and Rozarria. Zargabaath has revived the Republic of Landis and organized a formal army. Bhujerba, Dalmasca, and Archadia have lent airships, soldiers, and money to the Republic, and Archadia has given Balfonheim their sovereignty. The viera are in the process of being reasoned with, and Nabradia is being revived as well. How would you like to help us with this? We could place you in power of Nabradia for now," Ashe offered.

"That whole plan has been going on this whole time?" Al-Cid questioned, amazed.

"Yes," Ashe replied, "And I'm sure the people could use your help, and you can help calm Rozarria down."

"I humbly accept your offer, my lady," Al-Cid bowed.

"I will have an airship bring you to Judge Gabranth or Zargabaath then. They are the ones in charge of the whole operation, and they can help give you a specific duty and position," Ashe continued.

"Did you ever consider marriage between royal families of separate nations?" Al-Cid asked.

"Yes, but it doesn't seem substantial enough at this time. We need more than just marriages. And now that I'm Queen, I need to find a King who can rule legitimately and not share power just because of his name. I need to select a King based on who the job can fit and based on how much I love him."

"Very admirable. Also, quite romantic and rational, I must say," Al-Cid smiled. "Any suitors lined up yet?"

"We have more important things to concentrate on," Ashe replied, looking up at Al-Cid and smiling a little.

"Nothing is more than important than love, my lady," Al-Cid spoke slowly, looking down at Ashe.

They sat there smiling for a moment, and then Ashe continued to finish the wrap around Al-Cid's forearm. When she was done she stood up, as did Al-Cid. He had fit Rassler's clothes very well. They were a little tight, but no tighter than his last outfit had been. He had black boots laced up to his knees, the black pants tucked into them, and the black tunic was unbuttoned at the top all the way half way down his chest, much like his last shirt. He also wore a black cape that was fastened to his shoulders, and the strip of cloth still remained wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.He had tied the cloth under his hair, so the hair fell down over the fabric, and you could only see it while looking at his face.

"May I stay the night in the castle, your highness?" Al-Cid asked.

"Of course. I just don't know if you'll be safe in a room, or if your identity will be found," Ashe replied.

"If I stayed in here, I could drag a mattress in, could I not?"

"How serious are you about keeping your cover?"

"Very serious, my lady."

"Then I recommend not doing that. Just in case somebody finds a mattress missing from a bed, or if somebody comes in urgently and sees that there's a mattress on the floor. I'll have many questions to answer, and I don't know how you'll be able to completely keep your cover."

"Any other ideas then, your highness?"

"Al-Cid, there is only one possibility I can think of," Ashe replied, pacing in her room now. "But only under one condition."

"What possibility and condition is that?" Al-Cid asked, turning to Ashe.

Ashe paused for a moment then said, "You may sleep in my bed with me. And the condition is that we only sleep, and no funny business."

"My lady, I marvel at the opportunity, but I couldn't possibly intrude like that," Al-Cid replied, secretly lying.

"It's no intrusion if you follow my condition," Ashe replied seriously.

"Then I must thank you once again for your help, that you would rather me share your bed than have me sleep on your floor," Al-Cid bowed.

"Do not worry. You've had an incredibly strenuous journey, and I feel like the hospitality is not misplaced," Ashe replied.

And so the two of them conversed for the next hour or so until it started to get dark out. When it was a little later in the evening, Ashe changed into her nightgown, and Al-Cid slept in a set of pajamas that were once Rassler's. The two of them got into the enormous bed together, and fell sound asleep.

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"Thank you, that will be all," The newly appointed Rozarrian leader said to the servant.

He had been placed in power two days after the other noble had been murdered, and was now ready to start the official preparations of war. The group of nobles that were conspiring this attack were all eager to get it rolling, and it was now finally time to initiate their plan. They had also just gained the approval of a certain new ally.

The servant turned and left, but came face to face with another one of the nobles. The servant walked around him, and the noble walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

"So you're aware of the new course of action?" The noble walking into the room spoke.

"Of course. Now that the Occuria have offered to help us in a wartime struggles, we have every reason to continue on with our plan. For now, only the twelve of us will know about the Occurian involvement, but once we're on the battlefield, we'll catch the Archadians off guard by showing them the power we've been given," The new king replied.

"Very well. Tomorrow it is then. I just wanted to check up on you to make sure that you made it to your room safely," the other noble added.

"Occuria, eh?" a voice said from the closed closet next to them.

Both nobles spun and looked at the closet as the doors burst open. A man had jumped out of the closet and stabbed a sword through one noble's stomach. Before the other could yell for help, the assassin spun and cut the head off of him. The first noble sunk to the ground clutching his stomach, and the assassin proceeded to cut his head off as well.

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Ashe woke up in the middle of the night, troubled by thoughts, not able to get much more sleep. She turned and looked over at Al-Cid, who was sleeping on his side, facing Ashe. It was the first time she had been in bed with a man since Rassler, and it was awkward that the Rozarrian king was wearing her ex-husband's clothing as well. She was comforted by the presence though. It had been a lonely past year, and she did in fact have a few suitors come to the castle, yet Ashe had kept her mind off that for the time being.

What Al-Cid didn't know either, was that Ashe could have easily let him sleep in another room or sleep on a mattress on the floor, but she actually wanted him to be in that bed tonight. She had really gotten to know Al-Cid over time, and found herself worrying about his well-being after hearing the news from Balthier.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, letting out a quiet sigh. She turned back on her side, finding herself drawn to looking at Al-Cid. She looked at how his hair fell over his face and over the black cloth. She felt so bad for the wounds he had sustained. He would never see with both eyes ever again, and his limp would not go away for another week or two, at least.

Without knowing why, or even thinking about it, Ashe moved herself closer to Al-Cid and reached out to stroke his shoulder, the one he wasn't sleeping on, gently. She then rubbed and massaged his arm. Ashe quickly reeled back in shock and surprise, not knowing why she did that. But Al-Cid had already opened his eyes in response.

"Your highness, are you okay?" He spoke softly in his romantic accent. "I thought you made that condition for a reason."

"I'm... sorry, Al-Cid," Ashe replied quietly. "I... don't know why I did that."

Al-Cid smiled at her answer, and then said, "I think I do."

The exotic Rozarrian king reached out and placed his hand over Ashe's. He moved closer to her, and wrapped one arm around her waist. He let his feet touch hers, and he moved one of his legs in between hers.

He looked into Ashe's eyes and then said, "There. Do you feel a little more comfortable now?"

Ashe smiled sweetly and nodded. Al-Cid closed his eyes, and Ashe continued to do the same. The two of them fell asleep almost instantly, and remained in that position for the rest of the night until dawn came upon Rabanastre and the sun floated above the hills into the cerulean sky.

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The title of this chapter, "Another Ally", is just to imply that Al-Cid has joined forces with them. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the next few chapters should get my plot line rolling a little more.


	7. Chapter 7: New Strategies

"Al-Cid, it's a pleasure to see you here," Basch spoke to the Rozarrian king sitting at the round table.

Two nights had passed since Al-Cid visited Queen Ashe.

"I'm happy you're alive, but dismayed to see the extent of your injuries," Zargabaath added, sitting adjacent to Judge Gabranth.

"Thank you both for accepting me here. I do not know why you all seem to trust me, but I'm thankful for it," Al-Cid added.

"The two of us are hoping that you are willing to put one hundred percent effort into this, now that you have no other obligations," Zargabaath said. "Judge Gabranth is busy back in Archadia, Queen Ashelia has her own nation to run as does the Marquis, and Balthier is busy getting acquainted with his new power. Will you be able to do that? Because if you can, then the two of us are willing to make you one of the project administrators. You know what kind of resources Rozarria has and what we can expect, you'll be a valuable ally."

"Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind I will strive to accomplish you goal so that there can be future peace in Ivalice," Al-Cid replied.

"Excellent, with that settled," Zargabaath started, "Vaan! Bring Fran in!"

Vaan walked into the room with Fran following behind him.

"Thank you, Vaan," Zargabaath said. "You are now dismissed from the encampment to finish our tasks."

Vaan nodded and replied, "Of course. I'll see you both again soon."

Fran walked over to the table and sat down next to Al-Cid.

"So, what did they say?" Basch asked.

"What do you think they said?" Fran stated bluntly. "They refused our offer and told us not to come back with the same request."

"Would you mind cluing me in with what's happened?" Al-Cid asked.

"Certainly," Zargabaath answered. "We sent Fran here back to Eruyt Village to convince the other viera to create diplomatic ties with the other city-states. They are a part of Ivalice and will be influenced by what happens outside the village, yet they remain isolated. Fran has told us that the viera have no adopted the use of modern weaponry, but that they are extremely capable of fighting just as expertly as Fran does."

"Our efforts will be hopeless," Fran added.

Al-Cid cocked his head to the side, and then said, "Well how badly do we need their resources?"

"More than we'd like to admit. Nabradia will take a while to bring back to its original standing, and although Bhujerba and Landis are shaping up to be strong nations, they're still no match for Rozarria. Balfonheim itself is also a small port region that does not offer much power, but is an economic gold mine. The viera would add a great threat militarily and geographically," Basch answered.

"Well, I think I already have a solution," Al-Cid stated. "And you already implied it in your report to me, Judge Gabranth."

"What do you have in mind?" Zargabaath asked, very interested.

"Well, although the viera want to remain isolated, the events in Ivalice will affect the Wood and those in it," Al-Cid started. "If we were to carry out a small guerilla attack, or terrorist-like act, on the Wood and then blame it on the Rozarrians. It might help the viera decide that they cannot stand idly by."

Zargabaath glanced at Basch, then at Fran, then commented, "Do you all think that could work?"

"I will not allow it," Fran stated.

"Fran, please now," Zargabaath urged. "You want the viera to be safe from dangers, right?"

"Enemies, yes. Allies, like myself, no. I refuse to attack the viera," Fran answered sternly.

"But, if it's not now, it will be someday, and it will be much more devastating than what we're planning," Al-Cid assured.

"Al-Cid is right," Basch added.

Fran sat there for a moment in silence and then said, "Okay. But it must not be a devastating attack by any means."

"Of course not," Al-Cid replied. "But it must be a blow to the Wood, or else it will be enough to bring them to their senses. If you're willing to lead me to Eruyt Village, I'd be happy to help you go through with it."

"Who said I was going to do it?" Fran asked.

"Well, you're a viera, and you can expose the pathway there," Judge Gabranth stated.

Fran paused for another moment and then said, "Very well. I shall lead you there Al-Cid. We will carry out our plan and them come back in a day or two afterward. When shall we leave?"

"Tonight? Tomorrow?" Al-Cid asked. "It doesn't matter to me."

"No, Al-Cid you won't go. You must go to Nabradia and get things going," Zargabaath said. You've had a long couple of days, I don't want you running a dangerous military operation. I know just the cadet that I'll send. You can leave tomorrow, Fran."

The Rozarrian nodded and replied, "Sure."

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"Ashe, come, quick!" Balthier hissed in a loud whisper.

"Balthier! Where are we going?" Ashe whispered back.

Ashe and Balthier had been in Balthier's office talking about spending the day together, when Balthier had suddenly moved his desk, pulled up a part of the carpet, and exposed a secret shaft with a ladder downward. He had motioned to Ashe to follow him down, and she did as he said, but now they were in an underground passageway made out of brick.

"Where are we, Balthier?" Ashe asked again.

Balthier just turned, smiled, and held his finger to his lips and kept on walking. They continued down the passageway for another couple of minutes until they came to an apparent dead end.

"Very funny, Balthier," Ashe commented, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't see the humor," Balthier smiled.

He walked forward and pushed forward on the wall. The wall actually swung open as if it were on a hinge. Ashe's jaw dropped as she she witnessed this, and Balthier kept on walking forward, leaving Ashe to scurry behind. Balthier shut the wall behind him, and before them was an empty room with a door. Balthier walked to the door and took out his set of keys and unlocked it and pushed it open.

And before them lay the entire bay of Balfonheim. The port was bustling this afternoon and the chatter of the crowds filled Ashe's ears. The smell of the salt water perked Ashe up as she looked out to the cloudless, blue sky and the bright sun.

"Balthier! Isn't this passageway dangerous? It leads right to your office, what if someone found out about this?" Ashe said.

"It can only be opened from the inside. So when we go back, we'll have to find another way into the castle. But I got bored just sitting around in my office, and so I started to explore. I was knocking on the walls and floor, and when I moved my desk and knocked I heard a hollow echo down the shaft. Reddas was a sky pirate, I'm not surprised at all he had secret passage ways. I know another couple into the castle as well that I've found," Balthier replied.

"So what are we doing?" Ashe asked.

"Taking you out for a wonderful day on the water," Balthier smiled.

He grabbed Ashe's hand and rushed forward toward the docks and the bay. They ran past the larger docks that housed the enormous boats and jogged for a little bit toward the small docks near the jetties and the beach. At the end of one dock was a twenty foot sailboat. Balthier brought Ashe to his boat.

Balthier stepped down from the dock into the sailboat and offered his hand to Ashe.

"You're crazy! We can't do this!" Ashe cried, refusing to take his hand. "You're a sky pirate, not a sea-goer! And what if anything happens?"

"That's part of the fun in doing dangerous things, my lady," Balthier smirked. "And I know how to navigate a small sailboat just as well a large airship. Please, come. I've already prepared lunch for us."

"So you were planning this?" Ashe asked.

"Of course. I do great things when I'm spontaneous, but the truly incredible acts of mine come when I've planned ahead," He winked back.

Ashe took Balthier's hand and stepped down into the sailboat. In a matter of minutes Balthier had set up the mast, rigged the sail, and turned the bow around to get the boat sailing. He got out to the edge of the bay. They had sailed out in silence, just enjoying the scenery. Balthier finally let the sail down so that the boat wouldn't move that much anymore.

He moved to the back of the boat where Ashe was sitting and sat down next to her, just moving as the boat rocked back and forth on the waves like a cradle.

"This is nice," Ashe smiled, looking up into the sky, soaking up the sun.

"The skies are beautiful, but the ocean holds a beauty that many take for granted as well," Balthier replied, clasping his hands together nervously.

The blue sky spread all the way to the horizon off in the distance. Seagulls flew overhead and the sounds of their cries reached the boat. It was a warm afternoon but not too hot. Ashe looked over the edge of the boat at the cyan colored water and smiled at her reflection.

"So were you planning on going anywhere?" Ashe asked.

"There's a small island nearby that I've explored a bit," Balthier answered.

"My, my, and here I thought you were dedicating all your time to politics," Ashe said playfully.

"I could never devote myself to something like politics," Balthier winked.

And so the boat floated on in the water and Ashe and Balthier just relaxed on the cushioned seat at the back. It was one of the most peaceful settings Ashe had seen in a while. Balthier stood up and walked to the bow of the boat and took a basket out from a cabinet under a counter. He walked back to Ashe and opened the top of it, exposing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Lunch?" Ashe laughed.

"Give me a break, I can't cook and I needed something that could be brought out here without keeping warm," Balthier chuckled.

Ashe reached down and took the sandwich in her hand, and suddenly she thought about how cute the scene was. She couldn't remember the last time she had a sandwich like this. It was over fifteen years ago that she did. When she was very young she was allowed to play with other young girls in Rabanastre, and they used to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Once she got older though, those friends either went away or weren't allowed to be with royalty, and the simple sandwiches turned into gourmet meals of the castle that needed to be eaten with class and a dignified manner.

"This really is perfect, Balthier," Ashe said quietly.

"Really? Hahaha I told Fran I make the best sandwiches. You know, the perfect proportions of peanut butter and jel-" Balthier started as Ashe cut him off.

"No, I mean the sailboat and sneaking away by ourselves and the island and everything," Ashe laughed.

Balthier laughed back and continued, "Don't worry, I knew what you meant."

Balthier took a gigantic bite out of his sandwich and Ashe laughed when she looked at his cheeks full of food.

"What's so funny?" Balthier mumbled, trying to talk with a full mouth, small crumbs flying out.

"Hey!" Ashe exclaimed, pushing Balthier's shoulder. "Don't eat with your mouth full!"

Balthier laughed outloud after swallowing with a big gulp, "Don't eat with my mouth full?!"

"I mean, don't _talk_ with your mouth full!" Ashe cried, laughing at her mistake.

Balthier reached down into the basket and took out a few napkins to wipe his mouth with.

"Did you bring anything to drink?" Ashe asked.

"Nope, just drink the seawater," Balthier replied seriously.

Ashe stared at him dumbfounded for a second, then said, "Are you kidding?"

Balthier smirked and said, "Nope. Wanna see a magick trick?"

Balthier reached over the edge of the boat and cupped his hands in the water. He brought his hands, cupping the water, back over the boat and faced Ashe. He brought his hands close to his face and shut his eyes. Suddenly, the water lit up a bright blue and the light reflected off the water onto Balthier's handsome face. And then a second later Balthier blew out of his lips. And from his lips came small snowflakes and a small blue stream of air. Then he drank the water out of his hands.

"What in the world was that?" Ashe asked.

"Take some sea water, cast a Water spell on it, and then a minor Ice spell on it to make it nice and cold," Balthier smiled. "Neat trick, eh?"

Balthier then reached into the basket and took out two empty cups. He filled them both up with sea water and handed one to Ashe.

"Okay, now you try," He insisted.

Ashe repeated what Balthier had instructed, and when she tasted the water, it was like fresh water that just streamed off the snow of a mountain peak.

"This is delicious!" She exclaimed.

"I know," Balthier nodded smugly.

Ashe and Balthier drank down the water thirstily as the sun's rays beat down on them.

"Alright then!" Balthier exclaimed. "To the island!"

"Aye aye captain," Ashe joked, bringing her hand to her forehead in a playful salute to Balthier.

Balthier rigged the sail again, and in no time the small island was in sight and coming closer. They neared the shoreline, and then Balthier put the sail down. He let the boat gently run aground and he pulled it up some more, and then helped Ashe down.

The island itself was small. It was a secluded spot with lots of yellow sand, large dunes, green ferns, and gorgeous palm trees. They ran up one of the sand dunes together to the highest point on the island. Ashe looked out and could see Balfonheim not too far off in the distance. Before them lie miles and miles of open sea and cerulean sky. Now, some white clouds were starting to blow across the sky, being pushed by the warm breeze.

"Heads up!" Balthier cried as he grabbed Ashe's hand.

He started to run down the dune dragging Ashe behind, and the two of them raced down the dune toward the shoreline. They got to the bottom of the shore, but Balthier hadn't let go of Ashe's hand yet. And he was still running.

"Balthier! What're you doing!?" Ashe cried happily.

Balthier turned and swept Ashe off her feet as he sprinted toward the shore, and before she knew it, Balthier had flung her into the shallow water.

She screamed in delight but also in surprise.

"Balthier!" She yelled. "How dare you! I don't have a change of clothes! And I'm wearing light colors!"

"Nah, I made sure that I brought a change of clothes. I mean, they're a pair of my shorts and a shirt of mine, but I'm sure you have clothes of your own back at the office," Balthier replied, sticking out his tongue at her.

She splashed toward him and leapt into his arms.

"There! Big wet hug for you too!" She laughed.

"Please, a little water like that doesn't bother me," Balthier replied smugly.

And all of a sudden, Ashe gripped Balthier's neck tighter and swung him around and pushed him into the water as well.

"Hey! Okay, now water like this bothers me!" He laughed.

He quickly got up and ran to Ashe and tried to splash her and tackle her in the water, but she was already on the beach. He did catch up to her though, and wrapped his arms around her from behind and swung her around until he fell on the soft sand. And as they hit the ground together, something amazing happened.

Ashe rolled over on top of him and kissed him right on the lips. And the two of them lied there all wet and sandy, and continued to kiss passionately for a while.

About twenty minutes had passed by, after much more rolling around in the sand, until they finally stopped and lied there on their backs. Ashe lay next to Balthier flat on the sand, her right hand clasped in his left hand between them.

"I think we have to get back soon before they find out we're gone," Ashe said, breaking the peaceful silence.

"I agree. They might think that I kidnapped you," Balthier smiled.

"It would have been the second time you've stolen me, right?"

"Yeah."

They sat there for another minute in silence when Ashe piped up, "Balthier. I really want to come back here some evening, lie just like this, but watch the sunset and gaze up at the stars."

Balthier suddenly sat up alertly, startling Ashe as his head spun to look at her.

Ashe sat up in fright and cried, "What's wrong?!"

"How did you read my mind?" Balthier said seriously.

Ashe was caught off guard by the joke, but then burst into laughter.

"Don't scare me like that!" She playfully yelled, slapping his shoulder.

"Jeez, you're gonna give me bruises if you keep hitting me like that," Balthier whined.

He helped her off the sand and walked back over to the boat. He had two pairs of clothes on the boat waiting for them. Ashe slipped on his tee shirt and shorts while Balthier turned and let her have her privacy. She happily smiled at the thought of wearing Balthier's clothes as she smelled his cologne rise up to her nose.

When she turned around to tell Balthier he was okay to look, she was startled by what she saw. It was Rasler with his back to her. She could tell because he was wearing his favorite cloak. Then Rasler turned to face her. Except it wasn't Rasler.

It was Al-Cid.

Al-Cid was wearing Rasler's clothing like he had done two nights ago. And Al-Cid was frowning.

And as quickly as the mirage had came, it disappeared, and Ashe snapped out of her trance to see Balthier walking toward her.

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D


End file.
